


Funny and Cute

by ReflectionOfAYoungerMe



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (or will they? winkwink), Allura isn't in this one but she's not dead, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Confessions, First Date, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Idiots in Love, Kinda, Lance & Rachel (Voltron) are Twins, M/M, Mentioned Curtis (Voltron), Mentioned Shiro (Voltron), Post Season 8, Post Season 8 Fix-It, Post-Season/Series 08 Finale, Rachel is here!, Sibling Banter, They're both smart but like.. they're both stupid, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:50:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26500147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReflectionOfAYoungerMe/pseuds/ReflectionOfAYoungerMe
Summary: "Keith. Let's break this down. You would like to go on a date with me, yeah? I'd like to go on a date with you. So… weee…?" He leaves it hanging, gestures back and forth with his other hand between them, waiting for Keith to finish the sentence."... We like each other," Keith says. Lance smiles at that and it's really almost too much to handle. It's a giddy kind of look and Keith just has to be absolutely certain."Romantically, right?"--In which Keith and Lance are both idiots who don’t know how to have the same conversation, and Lance really really wants a smooch.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 101





	1. Funny and Cute

**Author's Note:**

> Hello.. This is my first fanfic in probably 8+ years, and my first ever VLD fic. I keep editing and tweaking it and adding more so I'm forcing myself to start posting it so that I actually DO post it. I apologize if I change or tweak things after posting, I'm a grammar/spelling nerd who hates my own mistakes so it's very possible I will edit chapters that have already gone up.
> 
> Also I'm really sorry if this doesn't feel very original or has basically been done before by a lot of people. I don't know what I'm doing ;')
> 
> Thanks to whoever reads this!!!

It’s early afternoon. Lance is finally moving out of his parents’ house into an apartment that’s not too far from the Garrison for his new teaching job. His family is off the hook to help out today because every time they try to his parents end up crying and his siblings end up arguing about whether Lance should just stay or if he should have moved out sooner. He sent them all off to the beach for the weekend - a forced trip of “relaxation” to get off of his back while he moved his last big load over. Except, much to Lance’s disdain, Rachel had stayed behind because she “wasn’t feeling well,” which Lance knew was just her excuse to stay home so she could go hang out with her boyfriend this afternoon.

So he had called his friends for some help. Hunk was here yesterday, helped Lance pack up everything that was left into boxes and made him get rid of some things he really doesn’t need. Lance had whined about every item because he can’t help it, he’s sentimental. Especially since they had so little when they were out in space. 

Today, Keith’s taken the day off work to help Lance pack all of his boxes into the big moving truck he rented. (Lance still complains that Keith has to work on weekends. "People don't stop needing help just because it's Saturday or Sunday," Keith always tells him.)   
He had offered for Lance to use his ship instead of the truck, which Lance found sweet but amusing because “Keith, I’m moving into an apartment building. There’d be nowhere to land that thing.”  
Shiro was supposed to come too but he said Curtis wasn’t feeling well ("and Curtis isn’t a _liar,_ like Rachel," Lance had told Keith) and didn’t want to leave him alone all day. Lance was understanding and told him he’d be fine with just Keith’s help.

So they’re packing the truck, and Lance is telling Keith about how Rachel won’t stop rubbing it in his face that she has a hot boyfriend now– Craig, or some other basic name that Keith forgot immediately since Lance tends to ramble on to his next sentence quickly.   
  


“I know I'm gonna miss being around Rach but man am I tired of hearing her blabbing about him. And I know I probably sound jealous but I swear I’m not, he’s so not even my type,” and Lance makes a “yuck” face for emphasis.  
  


A small part of Keith wonders if he means because Craig (Chris? Kyle?) is a guy or because of his appearance or something. But then, Keith really has no idea what Lance’s “type” is at all. He would flirt with practically every girl or female-presenting alien that they encountered in space, but ever since they’ve been back he mostly just hangs out with his family. Hardly seems to flirt with anyone anymore, at least that Keith knows of. So he wouldn’t be able to know what Lance’s type is, for any gender, but especially guys.

Keith doesn’t normally put much thought into his own appearance, but something about seeing Lance always makes him put in just a little bit more effort than usual. Everyone likes to look good around their friends, right? He’s only human. Well, half human. So when getting ready today, he _did_ spend maybe a few extra minutes picking the exact right jacket to wear, even though he’d have to take it off outside to move boxes in the heat, and he did pull his long hair back and took it back out at least three times, one time in a little messy bun, before grunting and just leaving it down. He wonders, in the very back of his mind, if he could ever be Lance’s type.  
  


He kind of zoned out there, which he mentally scolds himself for, and tunes back in to Lance’s rambling.  
  


“...And she almost talks about him with a tone of ‘you can’t have him,’ ya know? Again, as if I even _want_ to. So, like it’s not like I’m a threat, or something. Unless she’s worried he’d like _me,_ but why would he even ever be interested in me?”  
  


“You’ve got lots of good qualities a guy could be into,” Keith cuts in, almost automatically. He's surprised at his own blurting, normally he has more control. Maybe he was just tired of Lance being the only one talking for so long. That must have been the reason.  
  


"Ha, what qualities?" Lance asks, and there's something in his expression that reassures Keith that this isn't one of his moments of insecurity or self-deprecation. He's more likely fishing for compliments, but then he looks back towards the boxes again, so maybe he isn't looking for an answer at all.  
  


"Well there's the obvious," Keith answers anyway, regaining Lance's attention, "Blue _and_ Red Paladin of Voltron, hero of the universe, impressive marksman."  
  


Lance smiles. " _Perfect_ marksman, thank you very much. And I don't need to hear the _obvious_ , Keith. It's fine I was just joking."  
  


“What, you don’t want to hear more? What people think of you when they meet you in person?” Keith asks, lifting one eyebrow and knowing full well that Lance loves hearing what people think of him.  
  


“Oh I already know what _you_ thought of me,” Lance says in a fake-flirty tone with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “The most-”  
  


“Annoying guy I’d ever met, yeah,” Keith finishes for him, nodding his head, “Still are, actually.” Lance’s jaw drops, completely offended, but Keith continues before he can start complaining. “But, then there's the stuff someone sees when they first get to know you.”  
  
Lance looks less offended and more curious now. “The good stuff,” Keith adds on.   
  


“Go on…” Lance says, narrowing his eyes.  
  


"You’re outgoing, excited about everything, and... playful."  
  


Lance laughs a little, "Playful?” he scoffs, “I would have gone with charming, suave, and dashingly handsome." He stands proudly with his hands on his hips and grins wide.  
  


Keith laughs, or more like huffs out some air, and goes back to moving boxes. "More like… funny and cute."  
  


Lance's grin falls immediately. "You think I'm cute?" he asks so fast and so quietly that Keith almost misses it. Keith stops what he's doing and turns back to Lance with a small frown.  
  


"Like personality-wise, o-or appearance?"   
And now Keith can see that insecurity creeping into Lance. He looks so hesitant and nervous, like he's afraid he won't like the answer to his question.   
  


"Both I guess…" Keith says, crossing his arms over his chest and still frowning. He hopes that was the right answer, but Lance is a little wide-eyed. He looks like he's trying to figure out how to respond but Keith is starting to feel a bit embarrassed and he wants to move on. He tries to tap into the usual playfulness of their banter. "Don't act like you don't think you're attractive, Lance. The whole world- _universe_ , knows."

It kind of works, because Lance seems to snap back into his regular self. "Whoa whoa whoa, hold up! No one said the word ' _attractive_ ,' and what do you mean the whole universe knows? Knows I _think_ I'm attractive, or knows I _am_ attractive?"

"Lance, come on-"

"I'm just trying to understand here, Keith! We're friends, and friends need to communicate, hm?"   
  


Keith sighs and uncrosses one of his arms. "Again, both, I guess. You never shut up about your skin and hair and all that. But also you ARE...” He looks to the side and waves vaguely at the entirety of Lance, “...you know." 

Now Lance looks at Keith, shocked, and doesn't say anything. Keith is uncomfortable, so naturally, in his Keith-y way, he's also getting a little bit grumpy and restless. He avoids making eye contact and shifts back and forth on his feet.   
  


After a moment, either out of pity or his own discomfort, Lance clears his throat and speaks again.

"So- so what are my qualities once someone gets to know me better then? You said those things were what people see when they first meet me."  
  


So, not really moving on, then. Keith can't decide if this is going to make things more uncomfortable or not, but he doesn't want Lance to get offended or something so he answers.  
  


"Hmmm. You’re caring. Smart... Driven. Grounding. You're serious when it really matters, and you understand people well," he responds determinedly.  
  


"... _And_ I'm still funny and cute, right?" Lance grins and rests his chin in his hand, posing, despite the tint of color now high on his cheeks from the compliments Keith just listed. It seems like he’s aiming to ease the weird tension from a moment ago, which Keith is grateful for.  
  


Keith chuckles, the grumpiness from his discomfort vanishing. He smiles at Lance, probably too fondly, but sometimes he can't help it. "Yeah, Lance."   
  


That, Keith decides now, was not the right answer this time, because Lance looks shocked again, like he wasn't expecting Keith to agree with him, and he's definitely making Keith's brain dizzy with these back and forth changes in demeanor.   
  


"Quiznack, Keith." Lance runs a hand through his hair, looking mildly distraught, his cocky-persona completely gone once again.  
  


"What? What's wro-"

"Do you like me?"  
  


Okay, Keith is officially lost.

"Wh-what?"  
  


"Do you. Like me. Keith? Do you liiike me, Keith? I'm asking if you like me. Like, do you want to go out with me-"  
  


Keith's response to that particular question, coming from this particular person, is, against his own will, immediate _and_ verbal. "Yes. WAIT-" 

Lance's eyes light up and he jumps into the air slightly. "Aha! Keith Kogane wants to date one Lance McClain! How did I not know this already? I mean of course you do, I’m a snack! This is great. This is so juicy. I gotta tell Hunk!" 

"What are you talking about?!" and now he's grumpy again, "I thought you were asking if I like you, like in general, as a friend," Keith is kind of straight up lying, but he can’t accept that Lance meant anything more than that, and he isn't about to entertain Lance by exposing his own embarrassing feelings that he usually ignores himself, "so I was trying to answer _that_ , and then you go and _ask me out_?"

Lance lifts one eyebrow, confused. "Eh? I didn't ask you out."  
  


"You _just_ asked me out!"  
  


"What? When did that happen?" 

Keith is ready to kill this boy.  
  


"You just said it a few seconds ago! You said 'do you want to go out with me?' Is that not asking me out?!"  
  


"NO, no-no-no-no I was asking if you _desire-_ "

"Euch, please don't say desire-"

"-to go out with me, like in your own mind is that something you want. You would knooooow if I was asking you out. I wasn't saying-" Lance puts on a deeper, flirtier voice, " -'Hey Keith, wanna go out with me?' "  
  


Keith can't take it anymore. He throws his arms up and let's out a noise that is something between a groan and a growl. He walks in a weird little circle, like he means to start pacing but stops back in front of Lance again right away to look him in the eyes with a sharp expression.

"You. Are. Confusing. Me. So. Much."  
  


"What's there to be confused about? Either you like me and wanna date me and wanna cuddle me and kiss me-"

" _Lance-_ "

"-Or you don't and you're a crazy person and I'm gonna re-establish our rivalry."  
  


Keith can feel how twisted his own face must be. His hands have remained palms up in front of him, fingers bent tensely while his shoulders slump forward in a mix of defeat and socially-confused desperation. He's experiencing too much at once right now. Embarrassment, frustration, hesitancy, fear, and oddly enough, a tiny amount of _hope_.

He considers giving into his usual temptation to bolt out of any uncomfortable social situation, but decides against it because he really doesn't want to ruin the good relationship that he and Lance have finally built up, and he knows that leaving mid-conversation on the day he agreed to help Lance move wouldn't be a very friend-like thing to do.

Lance is being patient while Keith thinks, and his somewhat teasing smile has started to turn into a more sympathetic one. He sighs and takes a small step towards Keith.

"Look man, I'm not trying to put you on the spot. I just thought I caught a vibe but.. I guess I was wrong. You were just being so nice and- and I shouldn’t have assumed anything. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."  
  


The sudden sincerity and calmness in Lance's tone, the way he just seems to know what Keith is thinking, tugs at Keith's heartstrings and he relaxes a little. He allows himself to smile, a tiny thing, just for Lance to know he hasn't upset him. 

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean anything. But what did you mean you'd re-establish our rivalry? Why wouldn't we just stay friends?"

Lance pouts a little bit. "Huh? I mean, you know if-" he darts his eyes around anxiously, "if you didn't like me- romantically I mean- then I'd be kinda mad at you, so I'd go back to challenging and one-upping you all the time to be petty. But I was just joking! That's kinda like that thing gross guys do when a girl doesn't like them so they feel 'friendzoned.' I wouldn't actually stop being your friend again, that wouldn't be cool and I value our friendship too much." 

The last admission makes Keith happy, and he's hung up on that for a second, smiling, before his brain rewinds to the rest of what Lance said.  
  


"... I'm still not understanding why you'd be mad though."  
  


"Ugh, Keith! Because I _want_ you to like me!"  
  


"You do?"   
  


"Maybe! Kinda? Yeah!"   
  


Keith just stares, and he thinks things might be making a little bit more sense now, but he's not totally caught up yet. Lance looks kind of angry now and his voice was in that almost-shrill zone, but he hasn't asked Keith to drop it or go away or something so that must be a good sign. Lance sighs, calming himself.

"Okay, Keith… I'm going to ask you again. Do you _want_ to go out with me?"   
  


Keith inhales deeply. He can never lie to Lance about anything for very long, so he decides he may as well just confess it. He knows now that Lance values their friendship as much as he does, so he's not worried about scaring Lance away completely. He just hopes this doesn’t add a new layer of awkwardness between them. "Yes." At least now Keith understands that Lance isn't actually asking him out, he just wants to know if _Keith_ wants to go out with _him_. Everyone wants to be liked, he supposes.  
  


"Cool. Pick you up Friday at 8," Lance replies smoothly.

Aaand of _course_ Keith was wrong, again.

Lance looks at Keith's incredulous expression and he laughs, loud and fully, and it's– so cute. Keith can't even find it in himself to be grumpy that Lance is laughing _at_ him. It's his favorite Lance laugh, the one where he throws his head back and closes his eyes. But right now, despite the butterflies it gives Keith, the laughter only adds to his confusion. He finds himself with one question that he thinks might clear everything up. He's doubtful he'll get the answer he hopes for, but he likes to believe he's better at understanding people than he used to be, or at least understanding Lance (even when he's being deliberately confusing), so he's just putting pieces together here and they seem to be forming something he wasn’t expecting.  
  


"Lance."  
  


Lance is done laughing now and sighs out, "Keith?"  
  


"Do you _actually_ want to take me on a date?"  
  


"Was… was that not clear?"  
  


"Was- No!! This entire conversation hasn't been clear! Why would I think you'd want to go out with me?"  
  


Lance looks momentarily offended, but then an impish grin spreads across his face. 

"'Cause you have good qualities. And also you're… you know." He gestures to Keith the same way he had to Lance earlier, albeit with more confidence and eye contact, and adds on a wink.

Keith feels warm. Too warm. In the face.

"Okay." He means to continue talking but he feels like he's forgotten words entirely. He's just left with a lot of _feelings_ . Keith is only used to certain feelings, and most of the time he only has to deal with one feeling at a time. He thought he liked things that way, makes it easier for him to put feelings into words. But Lance always has a way of making him feel too many things at once which is, of course, both exciting and unnerving. But on top of that, Keith has never had Lance's flirting directed at him before, at least not seriously. Or... he _thought_ it wasn't serious. So having Lance openly and obviously flirt with him suddenly, is making Keith feel like someone just hit him in the head. Does Lance have this effect on everyone he flirts with? How had Allura brushed him off for so long on the castleship?  
  


Lance smiles, too knowingly. "Okay?" He repeats, "Nothing else to say to that?" He steps closer into Keith's space, still smiling.   
  


"Well- well, what do you want me to say? 'Thank you'?"  
  


"Noooo, Keith. I honestly? Just want to know what you're thinking in this moment."  
  


"Okay well I want to say that I'm still confused but… I think I get it now, actually. I think. Maybe... Hm." He pauses, double checking that he's processed this conversation right. He's replaying everything in his mind for the fifth time when Lance rolls his eyes and puts a hand on Keith's shoulder.  
  


"Keith. Let's break this down. You would like to go on a date with me, yeah? I'd like to go on a date with _you._ So… weee…?" He leaves it hanging, gestures back and forth with his other hand between them, waiting for Keith to finish the sentence.   
  


"... We like each other," Keith says. Lance smiles at that and it's really almost too much to handle. It's a giddy kind of look and Keith just has to be absolutely _certain._

"Romantically, right?"

"Yes!! Keith, oh my g- you're so ridiculous! Yes I like you. _Romantically_ . And you like me because you said yes to going out with me when I did _not_ ask you out, and then again, when I _did_. Which, gotta say that's not really the kind of confession I'd have hoped for in life, considering all _you_ did was answer _my_ question. Where's the romance? The grandeur?"   
  


Keith frowns again. He messed this up. Lance wants to date him, apparently– _miraculously, inexplicably_ – and he managed to mess up his confession.

"Do- Do you want me to say it differently? Try again? I can like… leave and come back later or.. or something and like bring– flowers? Would you like flowers? You seem like you would. I feel like I should know this already. Uh."

Lance just watches Keith struggle, and he starts to look like he's seriously debating saying, or doing, something, eyes bouncing back and forth between Keith’s. 

“I know you like the ocean? And rain. But I- you know I can't really bring you rain so uh… flow..flowers…” As Keith trails off Lance seems to come to a decision, shaking his head slightly and blinking as if to brush off an idea. He leans back a bit, too, and Keith hadn’t even realized he had gotten closer.  
  


“You don’t have to do all that,” Lance starts, but he doesn’t continue, glancing to the side briefly, suddenly aware of something. He looks a little more wide-eyed and his face is a little darker and he pulls his hand off of Keith's shoulder very quickly.

"Um," he rubs his newly-released hand on the back of his own neck, "So all that stuff I said before about like, cuddling and… and kissing, I was just being annoying and you can just forget all that. Er- Don't worry about it I mean. I didn't actually think you liked me so, I'm- I'm not trying to pressure you into anything-"

"Lance. It's okay." Keith is starting to feel a funny buzz throughout his skin. Everything is finally settling in his brain, but it feels like he could be dreaming it. Lance likes him. Lance likes him _back._ Keith had barely even allowed himself to think of Lance that way until a minute ago. One, because he never got the verbal confirmation that Lance liked guys too, but two because he just didn't think it was possible that Lance would ever like him like that. Instigator of rivalries, Keith-challenging, lady-loving-Lover-Boy, could-probably-have-anyone-he-wants Lance McClain. But he does like Keith. Romantically!   
  


Keith swallows. This is all new territory. He's never really imagined any of this happening to him, period. But especially not with _Lance_ of all people.  
  


"I don't feel pressured,” Keith says, voice a little bit raspy, “Those things sound… nice. Cuddling and kiss-... Kissing."  
  


Lance lets out a soft "oh," and then he's smiling sweetly. "So like… right now?" Lance tilts his head to the side and puts his hands behind his back, blinking at him too innocently.   
  


"Right now what?"  
  


"Cuddling and/or kissing. Preferably the latter because cuddling while standing, outside, in the heat, isn't really ideal."  
  


Okay now Keith is _really_ feeling unprepared. This is a lot happening, very quickly.

"But- but what about the rest- the rest of the boxes? The-the moving out… thing."  
  


Keith doesn't really mean to but he's stepping back away from Lance slowly. Lance follows him, stepping forward, and whether it's intentional or not isn't obvious enough for Keith to tell.  
  


"We got time. We could use a break, anyway," Lance says, and he hasn't stopped looking at Keith and his hands are still behind his back, making him lean forward just a little and it feels like they're a little bit too close right now. So Keith steps back again. His foot hits the porch step and he looks back at it like it betrayed him.  
  


"Still not pressuring me, Lance?" Keith asks, turning back towards him with a crooked grin despite his nerves. He’s starting to feel his own giddiness building in his chest, and it’s– well it's a lot.   
  


"I'm not doing anything. Just standing here, lookin' cute, and oh-so-kissable as usual. But, pff! No one is pressuring anyone to do anything. Maybe strongly, _very obviously_ suggesting, though," Lance says with fake innocence. "But for real, though… we can just go inside for some lemonade or something if you want," he adds on more genuinely.

Keith thinks about that-– Lance's genuine care and understanding when things really matter. He can be a real pain in the butt sometimes, but he's learned when to reel it back in and be sincere. He's really become very...

"... sweet." Keith whispers quietly after a short silence of just looking at Lance.

"What was that?" Lance asks with the tiniest hint of amusement coloring his voice.

Keith blinks and then clears his throat a little. He hadn't meant to say that out loud but it's too late now. "Uh I was just thinking that you're also, um, sweet. You're really sweet."   
  


Lance finally releases his arms, bringing them in front of him, and drops his face into his hands. "That was so cute…" he mumbles into his palms. "What the heck, Keith?" And Keith really has no idea what Lance means because clearly _Lance_ is the one being extremely cute right now, trying so hard to be flirty while he's obviously nervous too. Lance groans a little and mutters something about Keith making him “lose his cool.”  
  


"Uh- Maybe we do need to have a lemonade break," Keith suggests, no longer feeling too warm just in his face, but all over from the sunlight and humidity. "It's hot out here and we should probably talk about... this."  
  


Lance just nods shyly, one hand still on his cheek as he follows Keith through the front door, and Keith smiles widely when he turns away from Lance.

* * *

After they've poured some glasses of iced tea, they sit across from one another in complete silence at the kitchen table. 

(Rachel had walked by when they came in and told them she finished the lemonade and Lance said "Oh of _course_ you did," and they stuck their tongues out at each other before she walked down the hall. Keith smiled more.)

Keith sits still, staring into his tea. He is using all of his self control right now not to smile so wide it hurts. He’s afraid he’ll look like a lovesick maniac, and he can’t risk freaking Lance out before they’ve even talked about whatever’s happening between them right now. His mouth keeps twitching a little, so he keeps furrowing his brows deeper in concentration. He probably looks angry, but at least that’s kind of his usual resting expression.

Lance fiddles with the bottom of his shirt and keeps glancing at the walls, every few seconds taking a sip of his tea and then going back to fiddling and glancing.  
  


They're both finally about to say something when Rachel walks back into the kitchen in a new outfit and her hair done nicely. She stops just barely in the room and looks back and forth between the strangely silent boys.  
  


"Wwwwhat's going on here? Did Lance finally admit he likes y-"

"Ah haha, _Rachel,_ Keith and I are just enjoying a little peace and quiet. Or we _were_ before you walked in."  
  


Rachel quirks an eyebrow, and Keith smiles to himself a little because she looks so Lance-y when she makes that face. He wonders who got it from who. 

"Right, well maybe you wanna enjoy peace and quiet somewhere a little bit more _private~_ " she wiggles her eyebrows and Lance squawks at her. Keith bites his lip so he doesn't laugh. It's kind of nice to see Lance get a taste of his own medicine.  
  


“Don’t you have a boyfriend to go bother?” Lance asks, poking at Rachel’s leg with his own outstretched foot. She dodges and walks to the kitchen window, peering out front.  
  


“Cole is almost here,” ah, that was his name, “And just you wait, Lancey, you’re gonna miss me SO HARD as soon as you’re outta here.”  
  


Lance sighs and stands. “Yeah, I really am.” They both fake scowl at each other before embracing in a tight hug. Keith’s chest aches a little at the sight, but it’s not out of jealousy or anything. He feels– comfort. It calms his elation down to a more manageable sense of delight.  
  


“I am happy for you, you know,” Lance says as the twins pull away from their embrace, “You finally found a guy who didn’t end up being gay!”  
  


Rachel’s face morphs from fond to angry in an instant, and she hits him on the arm. “Shut _up,_ Lance! That only happened once!”  
  


Lance starts counting on his fingers, “Juan, Philip, _Keith-_ ”   
  


Rachel lets out an indignant scream as Keith says “Keith??” and points at himself with a tilt of his head.  
  


Lance turns to Keith with the smuggest expression, “Yep,” he pops the p, “She totally had the hots for you when we got back to earth.”  
  


Keith stands, then, and turns to Rachel with a sad pout. “Rachel…” he uses an overly serious tone that has both twins looking at him with a hint of concern in their eyes, “I’m flattered but… Yeah, I’m like, super gay.”  
  


Lance barks out a laugh and then falls to his side in a fit of snickers, bracing himself on Keith’s arm. Rachel screams again, stomping her feet.

“Ugh!! I hate you both!!” Even in her anger, both boys can tell she doesn’t mean that in the slightest, despite the darker color in her cheeks making her embarrassment clearly genuine.   
  


Lance’s laughter dies down and Rachel is still frowning, arms crossed. “You’re lucky you’re leaving or you know I’d get payback for this,” she grumbles.  
  


A car honks from outside. “That’s my boo!” Rachel says, her mood shifting immediately, as she bounds out of the kitchen and grabs her bag.  
  


"Bye Rach!” Lance yells out after her, “have fun with your boyfriend.”  
  


Rachel leans her head back into the kitchen, “You too!” she quips back with a devious grin on her face before darting out the front door. Lance squawks again. A few seconds later there is the sound of a car door slamming shut and a motor rumbling away, getting softer and softer.

  
  


“Sorry about her…” Lance says after a beat, returning to his seat across from Keith.  
  


“I like Rachel. She’s a lot like you.”  
  


And then Lance is smiling at him all fondly and he’s just sort of smiling back and they aren’t saying anything. Just smiling, and it’s becoming a little bit overwhelming again so Keith tries to be brave.  
  


“Lance–”

"Okay are you as nervous as I am right now?" Lance asks through a chuckle. Keith can't help but smile a little more at that. Lance is so adorable when he's shy. It's not a side of him most people see, and Keith feels honored to be in the presence of Lance's more vulnerable side.  
  


"Definitely nervous," he answers. Lance breathes out a relieved puff of air and chuckles again.  
  


“Well,” Lance starts, “What, uh, do we need to talk about, really? We already said we like each other, so…”  
  


“I guess, we should establish what we each want. From– From each other.” It comes out awkward, but Keith is hardly able to focus on himself right now with Lance in front of him, like this, in this moment, talking about what they’re talking about.  
  


“Geez don’t make it sound so formal. Why don’t we just like– call each other boyfriends.” At that, both of their faces explode in color. Keith squeezes his shoulders up to his ears, shrinking back, attempting to turtle his head into his own body, as Lance straightens in his seat and starts waving his arms around. “Nope! Nope! I take that back, I’m sorry, too soon! I don’t know what I’m saying!” Lance covers his face with both hands.  
  


Keith takes a deep breath with his eyes closed, exhales and then reaches for one of Lance’s hands before he can overthink it. He pulls it gently away from his face and folds his fingers around Lance’s, setting their hands on the table.  
  


“Hey,” he says to Lance’s right eye, “We’ll figure it out together. We always do, we’re partners. NOT- Not like, you know _romantic_ partners, but– well, kind of, now, um but you know what I’m saying. Let’s just… give this a go. No overthinking.”   
  


Lance visibly inhales, then reaches his other hand across to cup Keith’s cheek, thumb brushing gently over his scar. It makes Keith’s breath catch as they lock eyes.  
  


“Okay,” he says quietly, “No overthinking. We’ll take things slow. Not that you normally ever do that, Mr. Shoot-First, Ask-Questions-Later. Seriously, we clearly gotta work on communication.”  
  


They both chuckle, and Keith stands, pulling Lance up with him and then releasing his hand.   
  


“Come on, let’s finish packing the truck,” Keith says.  
  


“But you didn’t even drink your iced tea?”  
  


“I uh, actually don’t even like iced tea.”  
  


“You’re such a weirdo,” Lance says fondly.

* * *

  
  



	2. Funny and Cute... Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What, uh… about you? When did you start liking me?”
> 
> Lance winces at the question, looking sheepish and rubbing the back of his neck.
> 
> He laughs awkwardly, “Uhhh do you mind if we don’t get into it right now? I already just kinda spilled my guts out about thinking you’re great and it’s… It’s pretty embarrassing.”
> 
> Well THAT'S interesting.
> 
> \--  
> In which there are some questions, some answers, and a little bit of teasing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey !!! I'm real bummed this took so many months for me to finish editing. I had it almost totally written, there were just a few gaps that really needed stuff and Idk, life kinda got in the way. But I finally did it, and overall I'm mostly satisfied with it, though I did edit chapter 1 a bit too because some stuff bothered me lol.
> 
> A couple disclaimers..  
> I don’t have a clear image of Lance’s family’s house, especially the front of it and/or driveway situation, so I’m sorry if that seems confusing or anything. Also Keith flew a ship there, landed it the nearest place he could (beach????) and then rode his bike to the house. I also have yet to move into my own apartment irl so I’m sorry if anything about how Lance is going about moving is inaccurate lollllllll also Allura is alive okay okay that’s all bye-

Packing the truck could have been finished in under an hour, but both Keith and Lance took longer than necessary, to an obvious degree, moving each box, just so they could spend more time together. Talking, teasing, laughing, a little _flirting_ \- real flirting that they _both_ _meant-_ dragging the time out. Plus Lance made Keith do most of the work, claiming he could use his “Galra strength” and it’d be “easy peasy” for him, and they had to stop to eat lunch which took at least forty-five minutes because they kept talking instead of eating.

They finished packing the truck about five minutes before it started sprinkling. Lance didn’t feel like driving in the rain, so he insisted he could move his stuff in tomorrow, he just needed it packed in the truck today. Keith thinks, a little excitedly, that Lance probably will ask him to come back and help again tomorrow. He knows that Lance knows that he can get off work for as long as he needs to if he just says he has “Official Paladin business” to attend to, whether it’s right to do that or not. 

(Lance proclaimed dramatically that he was _exhausted_ from all the packing and needed Keith to carry him onto the porch.  
  


“The porch is five feet away, Lance,” Keith had replied, not having it.   
  


Lance responded with an exaggerated sigh and draped himself over Keith’s back, arms flung around his shoulders, which led to him half-carrying, half-dragging Lance up the two small porch steps.)

It’s raining hard now. The forecast had predicted it would be a hot and sunny morning and then get gloomier later, but _this_ was unexpected. So now they’re sitting on the porch bench, watching and listening to the downpour.

They’re close, but not touching, shoulders and hands just inches apart. Keith has thought about taking Lance’s hand again seven times.

“Looks like you _were_ able to bring me rain,” Lance says with a smirk, nudging Keith’s arm with his elbow. “Feels pretty cliche but I’ll take it,” Lance comments, looking back out at the rain.  
  


“Nah,” Keith says, “Cliche would be _kissing_ in the rain. Or like, watching a sunset.”  
  


Lance hums. “We’ve done that one, already.”  
  


“Platonically, though.”  
  


“Mmm was it?” Lance turns to Keith.

Keith hums. It _did_ feel pretty romantic, actually. At least on Keith’s end.

“You know you’ve got something there,” Lance says, pointing to Keith’s face.  
  


“Hm?”  
  


“Right… there!” Lance jabs his finger lightly at the corner of Keith’s mouth, “Ah wait, no that’s just your mouth. Huh. So you really have been smiling for this long.”

What Lance doesn’t know is that Keith has been very aware of his own smiling this entire day, and making sure that he doesn’t smile too wide or too toothy because that would be _weird_. Keith isn’t a natural smiler, and he’s pretty sure it’d be unsettling to Lance to see him smiling so wide.

“Hee-heeee, you must really like me,” Lance teases with his own usual big grin, wiggling his knees back and forth. Keith tries to scowl but he knows he can’t right now so he rolls his eyes, too.

"How long have you…" Lance trails off, bites his lip.  
  


"...Liked you?"  
  


"Yeah."

Keith thinks about it for a moment. “I think… I didn’t really know what romantic feelings felt like until recently. Looking back, if I analyze things... Maybe around the time we first were on the ATLAS and got back to earth is when things started changing for me. Or at least that’s when I started noticing those kinds of feelings.. for you. But I never really planned on acting on it. I avoided acknowledging it at all, most of the time.”  
  


Lance looks sad at that. “You’ve… You’ve liked me for that long and you were just never going to tell me how you felt?... Can I ask why?”  
  


“I didn’t think it’d ever be mutual. And I’ve been really happy with our friendship. I didn’t want to mess it up by making things more complicated or uncomfortable. Plus, as far as I could tell, you didn’t feel that way about me, and I guess I just assumed you were still into Allura all this time. I’m really… really glad I was wrong, though.”  
  


“But-– What about how _you_ feel? That’s not fair to yourself to hold something in like that.”  
  


Of course Lance would be worried about that. He’s _Lance_. Keith looks down at his lap, “I guess you’re right. I’m still… I’m still working on that. ‘Putting myself first’, or whatever Shiro is always telling me I need to do,” he looks back up at Lance, “I’ll keep working on it for you.”

Lance gives him a flat, disapproving look, raising one eyebrow.

“Oh! Sorry, I mean-– for me. I’ll work on it for me,” Keith amends, though he ends in an upward tilt of his voice that makes it sound almost like a question.   
  


Lance seems satisfied enough with that, though, and they lapse into silence for a few minutes. 

  
  


Watching the rain, Keith remembers how much Lance had missed it while they were in space. He remembers that Lance missed his home and his family too, more than anything. He hated being so far away from everything he loved. If they're really doing this- this thing- will Lance be okay with Keith being away so much?   
  


“This isn’t going to be easy, you know. Being... together. With our jobs and the distance,” Keith says a little sadly, breaking the silence.  
  


Lance turns to him, frowning. “Hey, what happened to ‘giving it a go with no overthinking?’ Let’s just… take it all one step at a time.” He nudges Keith again and smiles, then, “Besides, the romantic in me has a feeling we’re going to get through anything that gets in our way. Heck, we saved the entire _universe._ Every single reality! We’re practically unstoppable.”  
  


“I know it’s just… You know I can’t _actually_ take off work too often, and I don’t want you to regret... I just mean, I don’t want you to feel like– like I’m wasting your time when you could be with someone else _all_ the time. You _deserve_ to be with someone all the time–”   
  


“Keith. Don’t talk like that.” Lance looks him in the eyes, “I like _you._ We’ll see each other as much as we can. I’ll be back at my apartment at five every weekday, so if you want we can video call whenever you’re free, and you’ll have your days off every once in a while, right? I mean worst case, maybe I can go with you on your weekend jobs and that’ll be the time we spend together or somethin’. I still want a part of the action sometimes, even though we’ve both had enough wild space adventuring for a lifetime already. And if I’m being honest? I know I'm going to love teaching, making my mark on younger generations of pilots and dreamers like myself and all that. But... I _also_ know that after a little while I'm going to miss being out there in space, for real. That was always my dream, still is. I'll probably join you with the Blades in a few years or something. If you'll have me, of course. I hope I don't _bomb_ the interview. Get it? Bomb? Like B.O.M…?"

Lance grins but in a way that feels like he's cringing at his own joke and trying to cover it up, play it off.  
  


Keith doesn't care about the dumb joke. The fact that Lance is assuming they’ll still be together in one way or another for that long is… All Keith could ever really hope for. But that he'd want to be a Blade, too? Keith smiles a little wider and pulls an unprepared Lance in for a tight hug. Lance lets out a grunted “oof!” but he only takes about two seconds to return the embrace, tucking his face into Keith’s hair. Keith is happy that Lance understands the hug as a response in itself, no words needed to explain how happy Lance’s a-few-years-down-the-line ideas make him.  
  


Lance pulls back first to say, “Yeah! It’ll be just like old times, Samurai and Sharpshooter, teamed up again, fighting all the bad guys, back to back! Well, mostly just helping people in need but sometimes!– Fighting all the bad guys, back to back!” Lance makes a sword slashing motion with his free hand and makes a “swish-swish!” sound, then pretends he’s holding his gun, “pew-pew!”  
  


Keith chuckles. “Okay, okay. I just, wanted to be sure that _you_ were sure that you’re okay with our current situation.”  
  


“Well…” Lance shifts a bit so that his face is even closer to Keith’s, and quietly he says “There is another way to be sure, you know.” 

It's a poor excuse for a segue, not subtle at all, and kind of cheesy, and yet Keith can't bring himself to point it out because, this close, he's unable to stop his eyes from flicking down to Lance’s mouth and back up. Lance blinks slowly, not breaking eye contact. His eyes, blue as ever, stand out in their gloomy surroundings, almost sparkling, or– that might be Keith’s imagination. Regardless, Keith is utterly captivated, but he’s also kind of terrified. He’s terrified but he's not about to back out now. He doesn’t think he would be able to, with Lance drawing him in like this.   
  


He has no idea what he's doing, but he's always been a fast learner, so it can't be that hard to figure out, right?

  
So, he scrunches his eyebrows, squeezes his eyes shut, puffs out his cheeks, and leans in. 

He hears Lance laugh immediately, a little hysterically, and pulls back. "Wh-What is _this?_ Why are you making that face?!"  
  


Keith's eyes snap open and then he scowls, feeling a sudden heated wave of embarrassment. "I– You-Shut up! I… I don't know how to- _do_ this." He’s more mad at himself for messing this up so quickly than he is at Lance’s laughter, but the laughter sure isn’t helping his confidence.  
  


Lance cuts off his own chuckling and gasps softly. Keith looks up at the porch roof and groans.

"Keith… have you never kissed anyone?"   
  


His tone isn't mean– if anything it's gentle, but Keith still frowns and turns away from Lance a little.

"No…"  
  


"Why not?" And Lance sounds so genuinely confused, it might be endearing to Keith if it weren't for the current topic of conversation.  
  


"What do you mean 'why not?' You know I've never been with anyone. Been close to anyone… Until recently of course. I was on a space whale with no one else but my _mom_ for two years! And everyone else I’m close to knows you too, and you’d know if I’d like, dated one of them. And- Shiro says it's not weird to be in your mid-twenties and never have kissed anyone, or dated. And- Everyone's different-"  
  


"Yeah of course Keith, of course I _know_ that, I'm not judging you I swear,” Lance cuts in, putting a stop to Keith’s defensive rambling, a gentle hand briefly landing on Keith’s knee. “It's just… I guess it just never really occurred to me before. I mean you're so… Uh, you're so-"   
  


Keith waits for Lance to finish but he doesn't, and now he's looking away and kinda pouting. "I'm so…?" Keith asks quietly and leans more into Lance's field of vision. Lance glances at him but keeps his head to the side.

"’ _Funny and cute,_ ’“ he says with air quotes. “...Too."  
  


"Oh."  
  


"Yeah, _oh._ First of all, you're way funnier than most people realize. You're so dry, man, but it's hilarious. And then like, I knew you were oblivious, but I thought you at least knew how ho- _ahem_ how attractive you are." Lance sounds like he's stuck between complimenting Keith genuinely and being jealous and bitter, like the early days of their friendship. It’s extra obvious that he’s conflicted by his eyes darting around and cheeks getting a little bit darker, eyebrows furrowed a little. "The whole universe thinks _you're_ attractive, too. Don't act like you haven't seen the fanclubs. They're wild about you, man. You're a hero, _the_ Black Paladin, leader of Voltron. Symbol of peace between Galra and Humans, still saving people with the Blades all the time even though if you wanted to you could settle down on a private island and never have to interact with anyone ever again, or you could become King of the Galra, or- or! Well you get what I’m saying! You're amazing, Keith. _And_ funny and cute and so handsome –it's kind of totally unfair– So I was just surprised that- that no one has smooched all up on that face of yours yet."  
  


Lance seems to be done with his Keith-praising rant, and he sort of huffs and sags back a little, and Keith was really not ready for any of this. In hindsight, he should have seen it coming. This is Lance, and Lance is great at hyping up his friends (even his ex-rival ones), and his heart is so big and so full that he always puts everything out there. It's something Keith admires in him; his ability to express every thought and feeling through words.  
  


But that is not Keith's forte, so his response is half an escape from having to address everything Lance said, and half to tease him a little as payback for Lance laughing at his face before.

"You think I'm handsome?" he throws on an exaggerated smirk and laughs as Lance shoves him in the shoulder. 

"Look," Lance starts, ignoring Keith's leftover snickering, "if it makes you feel any better… I've never kissed a guy before."   
  


Oddly enough, that does ease Keith's mind a little. He’s never thought about it before this moment, but now that he has, he doesn't like imagining Lance kissing some other guy.  
  


"I’ve always known I was bi, but you're kinda like… my first really legit guy crush in a long time," he continues, "Though now that I think of it I might have liked Shiro for a hot minute actually."  
  


" _Shiro?!_ "  
  


"What? Shut up, he was my hero when we were teens! And also he's like, _ripped,_ man!"  
  


"Yeah and he's also _my_ _brother!_ That’s-! That’s _weird! He’s_ weird! And you complain to me about _my_ haircut? Have you _seen_ Shiro's weird-ass hair? He still gets it cut the same, even after it turned grey! Also I swear, he picks his nose sometimes, I'm pretty sure I've caught him in the act. Why are you laughing?? Lance??"  
  


Lance is just giggling away beside him, bracing himself on Keith's arm again. He takes a deep inhale and a long sigh out as he finally calms down. 

He looks right into Keith's eyes, a serious but kind look on his face.  
  


"See? This is what I'm talking about" Lance says, "How could no one have kissed you yet? You are _so_ funny and cute." 

There’s a heavy pause as Lance's words settle and they just look at one another. Suddenly overwhelmed again, Keith clears his throat harshly.

“What, uh… about you? When did you start liking me?” Keith asks, attempting to ease back some of the tension that had once again been growing between them. Clearly he isn’t quite ready to attempt kissing, as tempting as that is, so it’s probably for the best that they table it for now.

Lance winces at the question, looking sheepish and rubbing the back of his neck.

He laughs awkwardly, “Uhhh do you mind if we don’t get into it right now? I already just kinda spilled my guts out about thinking you’re great and it’s… It’s pretty embarrassing.”

Well _that’s_ interesting. “What? Okay now I _have_ to know. C’mon, Lance, I just told you about me, so it’s your turn,” Keith challenges, crossing his arms. Lance sighs.

  
“ _Fine._ But just… don’t make fun of me, okay? Man, I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this...”  
  


Keith waits patiently, but he makes sure to leave an amused sort of look on his face that says ‘well, go on?’  
  


“Okay… Do you remember when you got back from the space whale? Stupid question, of course you remember. Anyway when you got back on the castle and I first saw you again, I uh… IthoughtyoulookedreallyhotinyourBladeuniform!”

Lance throws his arms over his face in embarrassment and peeks through the crack, “Are you laughing?!” he asks in pre-indignation, half muffled.

Keith isn’t laughing. He’s just sort of-– gawking, though he’s trying hard to keep a neutral expression for Lance’s sake. He can tell his face is probably red though, because it feels like it’s on fire. Keith has never received this many compliments to his physical appearance in one day in his whole life. It’s one thing to be called cute or handsome, but “hot” is certainly never a word he thought would be applied to himself, especially by Lance, and _especially_ back then when he was fresh off of a two year socially deprived mommy-and-son adventure with no showers and only one outfit. Keith is fully understanding now that Lance genuinely finds him very attractive, which was a previously somewhat inconceivable idea.

Lance slowly lowers his arms, his own face darker too. “You-You’re not laughing?”  
  


“No?” Keith chokes out, “I’m-– surprised, I guess. I didn’t know you ever thought… So long ago that you…”

He’s floundering, so he just ends it there and rubs his hands on his cheeks in a futile attempt to wipe away the blush.   
  


“Okay well, yeah, you were. You _are_. And so uh, later after I saw you, I was like ‘am I attracted to Keith?’ and Hunk was like ‘bro’ and I was like ‘oops I asked that out loud?’ and Hunk was like ‘wow you’re a disaster.’ And then- Then I reevaluated some things and I realized- I’d liked you before you even left with the Blade. We had just started to get along, to be real friends, before you left. And I liked you. I just didn’t realize it. Even when I liked other people I liked you, too. I’ve liked you this whole time.”  
  


Despite his shy tone of voice, Lance has turned to fully face Keith now, his knees pushing into Keith’s thigh, and he’s looking at Keith expectantly. Anxiously.

It’s the eighth time he’s thought to do it, so Keith finally takes Lance’s hand in his.

“Thank you for telling me,” he says sincerely. Lance smiles and visibly releases some tension in his shoulders. “And for thinking I’m hot,” Keith adds on with a toothy grin. Lance ducks his head and whines, but then they’re both chuckling lightheartedly again and Lance drops his head onto Keith’s shoulder and wraps his arm around Keith's to entwine their fingers and it’s all so, so good. It makes a feeling of contentment grow within Keith to the point that he’s pretty sure his only worry left is that he might accidentally get so comfortable that he’ll go and do something stupid like confess his love for Lance right now.

Whoa _,_ wait, _love?_ Since when-–

He’ll have to analyze and address _that_ thought later. Probably through venting to Shiro so he doesn't _over-_ analyze.

Keith circles his mind back to the previous conversation. “So... why didn’t you tell _me_ then?” he asks after a moment of silence, ”It’s been-– wow… you’ve liked me for even longer. What- what stopped you?”

Lance takes a moment of thought before saying, “There were a few reasons, the biggest one being the war. Logically it just didn’t feel like the time or place to be in a relationship.” Keith nods in understanding. “I know I flirt a lot, but I wasn’t trying to actually be with someone. I was just… trying to make things feel more normal, I guess? Coping with our insane lives? I don’t know but… Then there was you, being all… Keith-y”

“‘Keith-y?’“

“Yeah, man! I was worried about the war, but you were _hyper_ -focused on it almost all the time. And I don’t blame you for that at all, but… It did make it harder to get close with you again, to _stay_ close with you. And you definitely never showed any interest in anyone or dating or relationships in general, so I was really just trying to cling onto my _friendship_ with you. And then we won, and I barely had a chance to think about us being anything more than friends before you went off and continued working with the Blades. Which is great! Don’t get me wrong, I think what you do is really admirable and important, Keith, I just… I didn’t get to see you every day anymore and I started to worry that we’d slowly fade away from each other over time, only seeing each other every five years at a Voltron reunion or something with nothing more than a ‘How’s life?’ ‘Good. You?’ ‘Fine.’ ‘Cool, see you in another five years!’”

Keith can’t help but interject here, “Lance, you know that wouldn’t have happened.” He gives Lance’s hand a little squeeze. “I’m not _that_ bad at social skills,” he adds on lightheartedly.

Lance snuggles into Keith’s shoulder a bit more and rubs his thumb across the back of Keith’s hand. It sends a jolt of warmth throughout Keith.

"I know, I know… but the worry was still there for a little. But you've been doing a really good job keeping up with us all. I know how busy you can get but I'm pretty sure Hunk and Shiro would cry if you didn't join in on the group calls."

It's a joke, but Keith knows it's not far from the truth. His friends love him so much, and he used to let himself forget that a lot back when he was still hell-bent on being an angsty loner who never let anyone past his walls. It was to protect himself from being hurt, but he’s finally learned that none of the people in his little found space-family would ever intentionally hurt him.   
  


“I’m sorry,” Keith says, “I didn’t know I made things so difficult for you. I know I’m not the easiest to get close to. I don’t think I ever will be. But, even if it didn’t always seem like it, I needed you guys. You and all the others, my friends- my _family_ , I needed you, even when I pushed you away. I still need you now, and I've finally learned that I _want_ to need you. So… Thank you for not giving up on me, for holding on to our friendship. I’m never going to take it for granted again.”  
  


Lance lifts his head and smiles right at Keith. It's that soft smile that Lance gives him whenever they have these sincere moments. It's disarming, it's a blanket of more warmth, it's so genuine and Keith feels like he's falling. He almost checks to see if he’s actually falling, off the bench. Almost.  
  


"Well, now you have to make sure you don't take _us_ for granted,” Lance says, a bit shy again “Whatever 'us' is… but I think you'll do just fine, if our friendship is anything to go off of. Also, just now, you were kinda doing your little leader-mode thing, like you’re giving an inspirational speech or something. It’s cute. You always say you're not good with words but then you say stuff like that and I don't believe it."   
  


Keith rolls his eyes but smiles. He’s about to respond when the sound of Cole’s car pulling up takes his attention. The car comes to a stop and Rachel leaps out, popping open an umbrella despite the rain now having eased up a bit, and she waves enthusiastically before blowing a kiss at Cole.

Keith goes to take his hand out of Lance’s before she turns around, but Lance just grips him harder to keep him in place. 

“It’s okay. Let her tease us, I don’t care that much,” Lance says quietly. Keith searches his eyes for a few seconds to be sure he means it, before nodding.

Rachel steps up to the porch as Cole turns out of the driveway. She shakes her umbrella a bit, closes it, then turns towards Keith and Lance, “Oh hey, Keith. I didn’t expect you guys to still be here-” 

  
She cuts off, noticing their entwined hands. Keith can feel Lance tense ever so slightly. He tries to think of something to say before she can make a comment– 

But Rachel doesn’t tease them. She just looks at them and then slowly smiles fondly, without a hint of mirth. 

  
“I’m gonna be inside watching TV,” she says carefully in a way that really says _I’m gonna stay out of your hair_. Lance sends her an appreciative smile back with a nod of his head as she walks through the door.

When they hear the door click shut, Lance sighs in resignation. “Well, at least now I don’t have to be the one to tell the rest of my family. Rachel can _not_ keep secrets. They can go ahead and gossip about me all they want when I’m safely in my own apartment, not here to get teased relentlessly.”   
  


“Don’t worry, I’ll tease you plenty myself,” Keith says, aiming to poke fun, but then Lance suddenly squeaks and covers his face, and then the double meaning of Keith’s words sink in and his eyes widen.  
  


“ _Ew,_ _Lance,_ get your head out of the gutter! You know that’s not what I meant! _Geez-_ ”

“Sorry, sorrysorry! I’m sorry, I know!” Lance flails a bit, exhaling loudly through the mouth and recovering quickly. “I _swear_ I’m not normally that dirty-minded. I’m still just... trying to wrap my head around the fact that you _like me back,_ so just expect me to unintentionally take things in a weird way a lot from now on. It’s like... Now I’m actually allowed to think about you romantically and it isn’t just some impossible thing that’ll never happen, or uncomfortable ‘cause we’re just friends, you know?… Does that… make sense?”  
  


“Yeah,” Keith says, because it _does_ make sense. He gets it, especially now that all the thoughts he’s ever had about Lance are slowly resurfacing from the dirt where he buried them deeper and deeper for years. So he gets it, but he changes the subject before Lance gets the idea to ask him what kind of thoughts Keith’s had about him...

“Do you think we should tell the team? About… us?”  
  


Lance raises his eyebrows slightly before humming in thought. “Mmm, nah. Let them figure it out on their own. They’ll get mad at us later-– Hunk probably will never forgive me-– but we have to keep some things to ourselves at least _sometimes_. Especially since we like _just_ started this a few hours ago.” He snorts, “Plus, their reactions when they _do_ figure it out will be priceless.”

Keith can’t argue with that logic, so he nods in approval. “I’ve always liked keeping things to myself anyway.”  
  


“You won’t keep things from me anymore though, will you?” Lance asks, but it’s evident in his slightly smug expression that he already knows the answer to that question.  
  


“I don’t think I could if I wanted to.”

Lance bites his lip, pleased and smiling, and looks up at Keith.   
  


And every time he holds Keith's gaze like _that_ (-–like Keith has just made his day, like he’s the only one that Lance really _sees_ , like he’s someone important and amazing and _wanted_ -–) Keith has trouble looking away. He's getting pulled in again and– 

On second thought? He can handle it. He’s totally got it this time. Lance wants it, _badly,_ apparently, and Keith wants it too, he’s just new at it. 

"I kind of want to… try that kissing thing again," Keith practically whispers after a bout of silence.  
  


"Maybe you should," Lance replies, always challenging, even when he’s being so, so soft. He leans in a little and Keith feels less terrified this time. 

He starts to close his eyes again, consciously less squeeze-y, but then Lance quirks one eyebrow.

"Do you need some instructions?" he asks, still soft, but teasing, his mouth quirking up to one side. 

He ruined the moment.

"Never mind. I don't want to kiss you anymore," Keith says dryly, his own increase in volume almost startling himself, truly record-scratching the moment. He stands up and releases Lance’s hand to walk away from him, a lot colder with the sudden withdrawal from Lance’s warmth, but he’s sticking with his decision.

“Oh look, it stopped raining. Guess I can ride back to my ship now.”  
  


"Wha- Keith!! That's so unfair! Come back!"  
  


"Nope. I don't kiss guys who make fun of me." He steps off the porch, heading towards his bike. Lance scrambles to stand and follow him.  
  


"You don't kiss any guys, period, as we just established a few minutes ago.” Lance stops right off the porch and crosses his arms, probably thinking Keith isn’t actually leaving.  
  


"Rude. I think we're done here." He isn’t really offended, but he keeps himself turned away from Lance as he keeps walking, slower than his natural pace.

"Wait, Keith! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin everything!” Lance starts yelling as if Keith is much further away than he actually is, “I-I was just nervous so I said something stupid. You're not really mad... Right? I-– I really do want you to kiss me!"  
  


Ignoring the butterflies he feels at Lance’s once again bluntly laid out desire, Keith grins as he replies, "Well, it'll just have to wait ‘til Friday then."  
  


"Friday?"  
  


"On our date," he replies coolly, tilting his head back just enough for Lance to see his profile. "Which better actually be happening, by the way."  
  


“You-! You mean I gotta wait all week??”

Lance’s blatant desperation for Keith to kiss him is, probably, the best thing that has ever happened to Keith. He's completely dropped his usual loverboy facade, which on one hand is hilarious, because Keith can make fun of him for being desperate, but on the other hand brings a warmth to Keith’s heart once again that he gets to see the _real_ Lance. That Lance wants _him_ that much, that he’s practically begging without shame.  
  


Keith stops walking, huffs once through his nose, and then whips around and marches back toward Lance, steely eyed but with the barest hint of a smirk on his face. Lance’s eyes widen as Keith is suddenly _very_ close to him, but then Lance is leaning forward, anticipating, lips puckered out a little bit too much in his excitement.  
  


He's not really sure why his confidence shifts up and down so quickly when he’s around Lance, but he thinks it might be a mutual issue they have. It’s like they’re on a scale sometimes, when one is awkward or shy, the other is cool and confident to balance it out (or _sometimes_ to embarrass the other). That’s what their rivalry turned into once they became friends– still a back and forth of competitiveness, but now playful and good-natured with no real bite or irritation. They keep each other on their toes and constantly drive one another to do better, to _be_ better. Keith likes them this way, and he can see now that they’re only going to thrive off of one another even more from here on out.

Lance closes his eyes, so obviously eager, and that’s when Keith kisses him.

On his cheek.

Keith barely holds back his laughter as he pulls back because he’s never seen Lance look so _red_ so _fast_ . His expression is a hilarious mix of confusion, disappointment, and maybe a little offense, and he blinks rapidly at nothing before re-focusing in on Keith.  
  


“Oh okay _smooth guy,_ I see what sort of game you’re playing,” Lance all but sputters out, his left hand coming up to cover the kissed cheek.

  
“I thought you liked games,” Keith says as he begins to walk backwards towards his bike again.  
  


“ _Yeah_ when I actually have a chance of winning!”  
  


"Hey what kind of flowers do you want Friday?"  
  


"Keith!"  
  


“Maybe something blue, to match your eyes.”  
  


“ _Keeeith!!”_  
  


“Hm, I wonder if I should wear my Blade uniform on our date…”  
 _Our date,_ Keith thinks again, exhilarated by the concept of it. Thrilled by the reality of it.  
  


“ _Keith,_ you’re killing me man. Come on, this is so not cute.” Lance pouts.  
  


“Oh and begging to be kissed _is_ cute?”  
It is. But he’s not telling Lance that.  
  


"Shut it, Mullet! You already called me cute earlier, and there's no take-backs!"  
Keith chooses not to point out that Lance also called _him_ cute earlier.  
  
  
"'Take-backs,’” he mutters quietly to himself, still biting back his smile. “I'm dating a man-child."

He reaches his bike and grabs the helmet. Behind him he can hear Lance heave a big sigh, followed by his quickly approaching footsteps.  
  


"Okay. I'll admit this is probably not how I want our first kiss to be led into anyways. You win." Lance steps up beside Keith and leans into his line of site. His cheeks are still wonderfully pink. "Could I at least get a totally platonic goodbye hug?"   
  


Keith smiles at him, just a tiny, shy thing, tucking a piece of hair behind his own ear. "It doesn't have to be platonic."   
  


Lance smiles back broadly. "Good."

He flings his arms around Keith's neck, Keith bringing his empty hand around to Lance's back to settle between his shoulder blade. They tuck their faces into each other's necks and both squeeze, like they're trying to convey every cheesy thing they're feeling through the embrace without words (-– _I like you so much_ -– _I’ll miss you_ -– _Stay safe)._

They stand there for a while, just holding onto and breathing in each other, and at least in Keith's case, appreciating every choice he's made in life that has led him to this moment. Led him to this person. 

They slowly release their hold on one another, sharing one more fond but shy look before fully letting go. Keith pulls his helmet over his head and swings a leg over his bike, settling.

Keith flicks his helmet's visor up and then- _then_ he _finally_ releases the mental hold he’s been keeping on his face, and breaks out into the biggest, happiest, probably goofiest grin he’s ever worn. 

“Bye, Lance.”

And Lance– doesn’t look unsettled by it. He looks awestruck by the expression for a solid few seconds, before he laughs– _giggles_ really, a flustered but unreservedly fond expression left on his face as he says, “Later, Samurai.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you feel like telling me any of your favorite lines, sentences, or moments, that would ... *coughs*.. uh that would make me extra happy... but truly any comments at all will make my day, I swear to you.
> 
> This is all I had but if enough people are interested, maybe I'd consider writing a bonus chapter with the date... 👀

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 2 is almost finished! Stay tuned ;)


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